Australia beat New Zealand in both Rugby League World Cup finals in Brisbane

Australia beat New Zealand in both the women's and men's Rugby League World Cup finals in Brisbane. Each victory gave Australia a fourth consecutive title in that competition.

Women's final

Australia won the women's final 34-10. The Guardian names the venue as Suncorp Stadium. Australia scored the first 24 points and led 34-6 at half-time after six first-half tries.

Winger Jaime Chapman scored a hat-trick. Her first try came about two minutes in, after a New Zealand handling error. Shaylee Bent, Jessica Sergis and Tamika Upton also scored. Shannon Mato and Mackenzie Wiki scored for New Zealand. Wiki's try was the only score of the second half. Hot and humid conditions led to drinks breaks.

Chapman finished the tournament with 13 tries. The Guardian reported this as a record for an individual at a World Cup. According to the BBC, she was named player of the match. Coach Jess Skinner picked Jesse Southwell ahead of Jocelyn Kelleher. The BBC reported that Southwell kicked five of six conversions. It also reported that Australia's women are unbeaten in 16 World Cup matches dating to July 2013. New Zealand's women last won the World Cup in 2008.

Men's final

Australia led the men's final 24-6 at half-time. The BBC gives the final score as 32-12. The Guardian's report does not state it. Liam Martin and Jack Bostock each scored two tries. Bradman Best and Tom Trbojevic also scored. Trbojevic's try came early in the second half from a Reece Walsh offload. Casey McLean and Isaiah Papali'i scored for New Zealand.

According to the BBC, a sell-out crowd of 52,500 attended. The BBC said the title was Australia's 13th World Cup success. The Guardian reported that Australia's men have won 10 of the last 11 World Cups. Australia also beat New Zealand by two points in the tournament's opening match. The BBC gives that score as 24-22 on 15 October.

What is disputed

The BBC says Martin scored Australia's first try of the men's final, after 84 seconds. The Guardian's report gives inconsistent accounts. The BBC places Wiki's try in the 70th minute. Al Jazeera and The Guardian say it came in the final seconds. The BBC described a suspected forward pass before Sergis's try. The Guardian said the pass was forward but the try stood.

What each side says

Al Jazeera quoted Australia captain Isabelle Kelly as saying: "It's been such a great rivalry for so many years now, with so much respect between the two of our teams." New Zealand captain Raecene McGregor said, according to Al Jazeera: "The best of the Kiwi Ferns is yet to be shown, so stay with us." The BBC quoted New Zealand coach Ricky Henry as saying: "We didn't handle the speed of the game at the start." The Guardian quoted Australia men's coach Kevin Walters as saying: "We had a plan at the start of the tournament and we executed that plan beautifully." The reports do not include comments from New Zealand's men's camp.

Analysis

Both finals ended with clear Australian wins over New Zealand. The results extend a long period of Australian success in both competitions. Some observers may see this as a challenge for competitive balance at international level. There are other signs too. Fiji led Australia early in the women's semi-final before Australia won. New Zealand's women's captain said her team's best is still to come. Whether rivals can close the gap before the next tournament remains open. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include an official match record from the organisers. Some details, including the men's final score, rest on a single outlet.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.